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ParallelBatteries:DCCircuitsElectronicsTextbook

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Table of Contents

Parallel Batteries
Chapter 3 - DC Circuits

PARTS AND MATERIALS

Four 6-volt batteries

12-volt light bulb, 25 or 50 watt
Lamp socket
High-wattage 12-volt lamps may be purchased from recreational vehicle (RV) and boating supply stores.
Common sizes are 25 watt and 50 watt. This lamp will be used as a heavy load for your batteries (heavy load =
one that draws substantial current).
A regular household (120 volt) lamp socket will work just fine for these low-voltage RV lamps.

CROSS-REFERENCES
Lessons In Electric Circuits, Volume 1, chapter 5: Series and Parallel Circuits
Lessons In Electric Circuits, Volume 1, chapter 11: Batteries and Power Systems

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Voltage source regulation

Boosting current capacity through parallel connections

SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM

ILLUSTRATION

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INSTRUCTIONS
Begin this experiment by connecting one 6-volt battery to the lamp. The lamp, designed to operate on 12 volts,
should glow dimly when powered by the 6-volt battery. Use your voltmeter to read voltage across the lamp like
this:

The voltmeter should register a voltage lower than the usual voltage of the battery. If you use your voltmeter to
read the voltage directly at the battery terminals, you will measure a low voltage there as well. Why is this? The
large current drawn by the high-power lamp causes the voltage at the battery terminals to sag or droop, due
to voltage dropped across resistance internal to the battery.

We may overcome this problem by connecting batteries in parallel with each other, so that each battery only has
to supply a fraction of the total current demanded by the lamp. Parallel connections involve making all the
positive (+) battery terminals electrically common to each other by connection through jumper wires, and all
negative (-) terminals common to each other as well. Add one battery at a time in parallel, noting the lamp
voltage with the addition of each new, parallel-connected battery:

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There should also be a noticeable difference in light intensity as the voltage sag is improved.
Try measuring the current of one battery and comparing it to the total current (light bulb current). Shown here is
the easiest way to measure single-battery current:

By breaking the circuit for just one battery, and inserting our ammeter within that break, we intercept the current
of that one battery and are therefore able to measure it. Measuring total current involves a similar procedure:
make a break somewhere in the path that total current must take, then insert the ammeter within than break:

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Note the difference in current between the single-battery and total measurements.
To obtain maximum brightness from the light bulb, a series-parallel connection is required. Two 6-volt batteries
connected series-aiding will provide 12 volts. Connecting two of these series-connected battery pairs in parallel
improves their current-sourcing ability for minimum voltage sag:

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